Amit Joshi, Associate Vice President-HR, Jubilant Life Sciences has had a long and varied innings in an array of sectors and industries. As he says, HR is in his blood, coming as he does, from a family of HR professionals. He has witnessed changes in HR right from the time of manual attendance and record keeping to the latest changes that technology has brought in and from the time when HR was seen as a ‘staff function’ to its role now as a ‘business partner’. He outlines this journey in a tete-a-tete with Corporate Citizen…
“One of the challenges that comes in the HR field is that sometimes the human mind is very unpredictable, it is one of the most complex creations of the almighty. While people carry baggage from home and behave indifferently, we cannot predict their behaviour and it becomes a challenge”
I have done my Masters in HR and I am also a Law graduate. I belong to a family of HR professionals as my father was Executive Director HR of one of the Miniratna companies and other family members were also from the same fraternity, so HR is in my blood. I started my career with Standard Alkali, Mumbai. After that I was selected by JK synthetics, Kota, Rajasthan, where I worked for two years. I then joined Hindustan Zinc Limited and thereafter the company was taken over by Vedanta. I continued with Vedanta for another three years after which I joined Samtel group as Head HR for one of their manufacturing sites. When I got a larger role, I decided to join JK Tyre & Industries. I subsequently moved to Vedanta as Head HR for one of their flagship companies, Bharat Aluminium Company Ltd, Korba, Chhattisgarh, where I was heading the HR functions of the company for five years. Presently I head the HR functions of the biggest site of Jubilant Life Science Ltd at Gajraula.
Jubilant Life Sciences Ltd is an integrated global pharmaceutical and life science company engaged in pharmaceuticals, life science ingredients and other businesses. It is part of the Jubilant Bhartia Group. We have a workforce of more than 2400 employees. The company has the best HR practices and a very caring and committed management and workforce. So this is my journey of advancement and learning through exposure to multifarious industry verticals.
In fact, legal exposure is only the statutory part, during this course one learns and applies logical thinking. Remember, law and even HR is science. It teaches to decide rationally as to what is right and wrong. So in discharging our duties either at home or office we come across situations where we cannot refer to books every time. Even when there are multiple opinions and we have to choose, a law background gives insight and confidence to take correct decisions. That is why I think a degree in law is definitely an added advantage.
I have seen the primitive HR where attendance was marked manually, salary calculated and given manually, and all statutory compliances handled by many people filling various forms. Training was for namesake, as there was no TNI or focussed intervention, ROI was never heard. Similarly, on advancement and career development, it was only incremental and employee goal setting and appraisal were not structured. HR was considered a staff function.
Over time I have found that HR has grown exponentially. It is now a business ally, it complements business and is now seen as a business partner. All our interventions, processes, are made to support the business. We have leveraged technology, as a result of which there is speed in decision making, a proactive IR, hence participative and conducive work environment which has enhanced employee engagement and satisfaction. All this ensure business continuity and growth. We now focus on ethics and values rather than disciplining employees. Our employees are inclined towards the betterment of the organisation, implementing global best practices, enhanced employee engagement through improved initiatives and the application of structured problem solving tools. Everyone talks about productivity improvement and employee volunteerism in CSR activities. This is the transition I have seen. HR has marked its footprint in the eyes of the management and is earning respect as a business partner.
“Skills and competence can be slightly less or more, but if a person has a desire to learn and is ready to accept challenges, that is the differentiator. Uncompromising honesty and loyalty to the profession and organisation are important skill sets”
Challenges start with the pressure that comes in terms of recruitment. Though we have a structured process in hiring professionals through campus, wherever you operate, people still aspire and question as to why people from the vicinity are not inducted. Though I don’t find this a challenge, sometimes we do get into this trap and have to handle such cases diplomatically through a selection process. If they are suitable I don’t mind taking them, else they are rejected, so this is one of the challenges.
Another challenge that comes in the HR field is that sometimes the human mind is very unpredictable, it is one of the most complex creations of the almighty. While people carry baggage from home and behave indifferently, we cannot predict their behaviour and it becomes a challenge. We have to handle situations involving arrogance, misbehaviour and insubordination. This takes our productive time but we have worked out ways to mitigate them with meditation at work, work-life balance, timely engagement, etc.
The third challenge I face is that employees are not concerned about their well being or their families. They take life very casually. They do not bother about the use of safety equipment/PPE. This sometimes leads to instances which may hinder business operations, hence it is all the more important to take safety as the “way of life”.
First and foremost, positive thinking, how much the person receives, wants to learn and leverage learning. Skills and competence can be slightly less or more, but if a person has a desire to learn and is ready to accept challenges, that is the differentiator. Uncompromising honesty and loyalty to the profession and organisation are important skill sets. Respect to the nation, organisation and people, reflects the culture and values one is carrying.
One key initiative for me is the development of talent. I am proud that at least 50 of my associates are steering HR in some way or the other across the globe. I am proud I could develop these young professionals by empowering them. Apart from this, I have the privilege in my present and last assignment to work in close collaboration with various business leaders who are globally acclaimed. I have learnt a lot from them. Also my satisfaction is that I could foster a culture of continuous learning and unleash and synergise talent from within the organisation. I have worked with various unions and have developed a culture of proactive IR. I am proud of working with multiple unions and am privileged to sign off a long-term settlement amicably with productivity improvement with the nation’s top leadership.
There has to be a demarcation between work and personal life but there are situations where you have to take work home, but it should not be a routine feature. These two are completely different and should never be mixed. One should never talk official matters with family members.
There will always be hindrance while you take an extra mile and ownership. Newton’s Laws of Motion and the principle, “every action has an equal and opposite reaction” should be our tag line for self-motivation, as power comes from within and we should always be prepared to take newer challenges and try to find “opportunities in adversity”.
Never look back, there will always be hindrances, don’t get scared. Every problem has a solution, just do your work with dedication and love your company and profession
By HARSH THIND
